Blog Posts

Tips for Earning Income as a Student

Earning an income while studying can mean you’re able to maintain the lifestyle you want and keep your student loan debt low. However, if you take a job that requires too much of your time, your grades may suffer or you may lack time for a social life. With the following ideas, you can gain the income you want while having free time to spare. 1. Offer Tutoring Services Tutors are always in demand at universities, since many students can benefit from some extra help in certain subjects. If you’ve done exceptionally well in any of your past classes, it should be easy to convince students who are now taking those classes that hiring you will be worthwhile. 2. Assist a Professor If you’ve developed a great relationship with any of your professors, reach out and ask them if they need any support. There may be an opportunity for you to become a research assistant, which will be valuable to have on your resume if you want to go to grad school or enter a career in research. Alternatively, you could become a teacher’s assistant, which involves grading assignments and helping with admin tasks as well as some research. 3. Provide IT Support Students and staff alike run into computer problems all the time. Specify the hours when you’re available and allow anyone to call you. If you develop a good track record of being able to resolve IT issues, you’ll find that people will reach out to you frequently . 4. Answer Surveys Filling out surveys and taking part in market research studies allows you to earn an income from the comfort of your own room. Sign up through survey websites and take part in studies whenever you have free time. You’ll find that some surveys offer gift cards rather than cash, but if these cards are for stores you buy from anyway, it’s almost like earning income. 5. Using Your Typing Skills Put your typing skills to good use by searching for transcriptionist or data entry jobs on freelance sites. As you’ll be able to choose how many jobs you take, you never need to feel like work is taking up too much of your time. 6. Edit Student Resumes Business majors know exactly what makes a resume stand out. Use your knowledge to help students who are graduating create resumes that will impress potential employers. 7. Sell Academic Materials When you’ve finished a class, instead of throwing all your materials out, sell them to students who are just about to take the class. As well as textbooks, you may be able to sell your study notes and guides — provided they’re detailed and easy to follow. Bear in mind that you may have more success selling online than just trying to find buyers among students at your university. 8. House, Baby, or Pet Sit Use your free evenings and weekends to care for someone’s house, kids, or pets. Find opportunities online or use your contacts in the area. Housesitting is ideal if you want to make an easy income with minimal responsibilities. Babysitting can be low effort, too, such as if you take jobs late in the evening. If you love animals, you may find taking care of a pet relaxing — there could even be the chance to gain a regular job walking a local dog. 9. Deliver Food All you need is a vehicle (or perhaps even just a bike ) and you can sign up with a food delivery service. The great thing about this job is you often make extra money from tips. 10. Sell Your Clothes Instead of keeping your closet full of clothing you’ll never wear again, list items online. Ever more people are interested in purchasing quality second-hand clothing, both because of the chance to save money and because it’s better for the environment. You can avoid needing to earn an income simply by reducing your expenses. One thing to do is search for cheaper rooms for rent. St Catharines students can find affordable, comfortable housing right next to campus at Foundry Lofts. Apply today to secure the unit of your choice before it’s too late.

A Guide to Making New Friends at University

Although everyone is eager to make friends when they start university, it becomes more difficult to connect with new people as time goes on. However, it’s still possible to make new friends at any point during your time at university — all you need to do is keep some basic tips in mind. 1. Be Authentic Making friends is not a numbers game — there’s no point investing your time in someone with whom you have nothing in common. By being genuine, you’ll find friends with similar interests and ensure your personalities click. This is a key way to build friendships that last. 2. Meet Others Living in the Same Student Housing Look beyond your classes when searching for opportunities to make friends. It’s particularly convenient to hang out with people who live in the same building as you, especially if there are facilities on site like a lounge or fitness centre . The students living in the same place as you may be taking a completely different major or they may even attend another university. This will mean you’re exposed to new perspectives and ideas. 3. Join Plenty of Clubs Another way to expand your friend circle is to join clubs and organizations. Attend meetings for anything you find intriguing and explore new passions. It will be easy to make friends when you can bond over a hobby. 4. Let Your Uniqueness Shine Don’t be afraid to show the unique side of your personality. If you have an uncommon hobby or character quirk that your current friends love, embrace it. When you’re memorable, the people you meet will seek you out. 5. Ask Questions Of course, it’s also important to avoid making everything about you. Take a genuine interest in the people you meet and ask plenty of questions. If you find that the standard small talk starts to become boring, ask more original questions — without being intrusive, of course. For instance, you could try to find out what you have in common with people. You’ll immediately have something to talk about, as well as a reason to meet up again later. 6. Expect to Like People Reserve any judgement until you actually know someone. When you meet new people, always begin with the expectation that you will like them. By keeping an open mind, you’ll likely find that you connect with people who would never otherwise have become your friends. Plus, you’ll gain a reputation for being a nice person yourself, which will mean people are more willing to approach you. 7. Broaden Your Knowledge Learn about things that interest other students. For example, stay up to date with pop culture references, what’s happening in the news, and sports. Whereas no one likes a know-it-all, having a basic knowledge of a variety of topics will allow you to have conversations about anything with anyone. 8. Invite People to Routine Activities Think about all the things you do everyday anyway and consider if you could invite new friends along. Perhaps you could find some gym buddies or have a jam session with fellow musicians. You’ll find it much easier to make friends if you live in a building made up of student rentals. St Catharines students have Foundry Lofts. Our student housing has a variety of amenities that make it easy to socialize and meet new people, including a game room, movie theatre, and TV lounge. Secure your lease before spaces fill up.

What to Do If You & Your Roommate Don’t Get Along

Whether your roommate is a friend or someone you’ve never met before, making the adjustment to living in close quarters can be difficult. The situation is worse if you and your roommate don’t get along. Since you’ll need to put up with each other for at least the rest of the semester, it’s important to take steps to resolve any problems you have before they become overblown. 1. Think About What You Could Do Differently It’s easy to blame your roommate for everything wrong with your living situation, but you need to consider how you’re contributing. Just like your roommate has annoying habits, you most likely do things that bother your roommate without you even realizing it. In fact, you could be adding to the tension. If you’re living with a complete stranger , another factor could be that you simply don’t know your roommate yet. You could be interpreting behaviour as hostile or unfriendly, when actually your roommate is just shy or feeling homesick. Give your roommate the benefit of the doubt and put in the effort to get to know one another. There’s no need to become friends, but life will be easier for both of you if you learn to get along. 2. Take Steps to Prevent Conflict You’re going to have to deal with conflict no matter who you live with. You undoubtedly had conflicts with your parents and siblings when you lived in your family home. The conflicts you have with your roommate may be quite different, but that’s just because you come from different backgrounds . Always consider your role in any conflicts and what you could do to prevent problems in the future. 3. Spend Less Time in Your Apartment You may find you’re getting on each other’s nerves simply because you’re around each other too much. Perhaps your roommate likes to lounge around in the living room for hours or spends a long time cooking every evening, making it difficult for you to use the kitchen. Instead of becoming frustrated, find ways to stay out of the house more. Perhaps you could visit friends, sign up for more activities at college, or find an opportunity to volunteer. 4. Have Conversations About What’s Bothering You Resolving problems requires action from both of you — which means you need to communicate. It’s no good to expect your roommate to just know what to do. Worse still is leaving passive aggressive notes, such as to point out that something needs cleaning or to complain about your roommate’s guests. Instead, you need to have sit-down conversations. Start the conversation by pointing out that you want to get along and you need to know if you are doing anything that annoys your roommate. Give your roommate time to talk and make sure to listen carefully. Only then should you explain what’s bothering you. Together, you should figure out ways to resolve the issues. It’s common to find that this first conversation goes much better than you may have expected. The fact is most college students want to have a pleasant living experience and are willing to work with their roommates to make it happen. 5. Vent to Someone There may be some small things that bother you that you just need to put up with, especially if it would seem petty to ask your roommate to change. Alternatively, you may be stressed in general, which could mean the things your roommate does bother you irrationally. Venting to a friend can sometimes help, but an even better solution is to talk to a counsellor. A professional may have ideas you can use in your specific situation to make your life more comfortable. You’re much less likely to have conflict with your roommate if you don’t share a bedroom. A great alternative to on-campus Niagara College residence is Foundry Lofts. You’ll have a private bedroom in a suite with a maximum of four other students and you’ll only need to share a bathroom with two other people at the most. Secure the floor plan you want by applying today.

How to Avoid Cramming for Tests

Cramming for tests is always a bad idea. For one thing, it’s much harder to retain information this way. Worse, if you pull an all-nighter, you may even fall asleep while cramming, sleep through your alarm, and miss the test entirely. No matter if you’re prone to procrastination or you’re not sure how to prepare for tests other than cramming, there are ways you can improve. 1. Study Every Day As soon as you know that you’ll be having the test and what it will cover, start preparing. It’s enough to dedicate just half an hour a day to studying — you’ll soon find the information starts to stick and you’ll stop struggling to remember the fine details . Just bear in mind that you’ll need to schedule time each day to ensure you actually do study. 2. Condense Your Notes An effective way to solidify your knowledge is to rewrite your notes by condensing them down to just the main points. You can even rewrite each set of notes more than once, making them more condensed each time. If you have typed notes, make sure you write them out fresh each time rather than just making a copy of the document and deleting the extra information. 3. Pay Attention in Class Your notes are no good if you failed to pay attention in class. If you have gaps, you’ll need to go and look up the missing information instead of preparing for your test. This will add to your workload and increase the risk you’ll need to cram the night before. If you’re finding it hard to focus in class, remove any distractions. Instead of sitting at the back of the room next to a friend or looking at your phone every few minutes, move to the front of the room to be right in front of your professor. 4. Form a Study Group The best study group is formed of people who want to do well on a test and will help each other understand the material. The worst people to have in a study group are often your best friends, as the study session can easily become another socializing event. An alternative to forming a study group is to ask a TA or tutor to help you. The important thing is to study with someone who will push you and make sure you understand the material fully. 5. Experiment with Different Study Methods It’s difficult to know which study methods work for you until you’ve tried them. Many students find it useful to prepare flashcards to test themselves on key concepts and facts. You could also draw a mind map, flow chart, or another type of diagram to summarize what you’ve learned or how key points are linked. Having a comfortable place to study throughout the semester can make a world of difference. Dorm rooms are notoriously terrible for studying — it’s much better to live in Brock University off-campus housing. At Foundry Lofts, you’ll be able to study in your private bedroom or in our 3,600-square-foot WiFi -equipped lounge. Apply now to secure your suite.

5 Ways to Reconnect with Hometown Friends Over Winter Break

One of the best times of year to catch up with hometown friends is winter break. You’re all back home for an extended period, likely with plenty of free time in your schedules and no need to think about schoolwork again until next year. Plus, unlike spring break, the end of the school year is still a long way off and unlike summer, most of your friends won’t be going on vacation or be preoccupied looking for an internship. To properly reconnect, there are a few different activities you should consider organizing. If you have plenty of time, you may even like to do them all. At the very least, they’ll keep you from feeling bored and strengthen the bonds you have with old friends. 1. Quick Coffee with the Group Meet up with your entire group of friends over a morning coffee. This will allow those who have other commitments to leave early — and the rest of you can stick around for longer. Your friends should be able to fit a quick coffee into their schedule, even if some of them are busy with a job, gift shopping, or preparing for next semester. 2. Brunch and a Movie Spend the whole day together — without pushing anyone to get up early — by arranging to meet for brunch. This will give you plenty of time to chat about university, jobs, roommate drama, and everything else. Complete the day by heading to a movie theatre to see a latest release that you’ve been unable to see yet due to being busy with finals. 3. Hit the Bars If your friends have more time in the evenings, heading to a local bar or even organizing a proper night out could be ideal. Your friends need to let off steam just as much as you do — this could be the perfect choice to help you relax. 4. Go for Dinner Organize a special end-of-year dinner at a fancy restaurant with all your closest friends from your hometown. Choose a restaurant that you’ve always loved or try out one you’ve never been to before. Either way, it’s a great opportunity to dress up and feel more like part of each other’s new, adult lives. 5. Have a Slumber Party If you want to do the opposite and feel like kids again, hold a slumber party. It’s sure to make you think of the old times and how much fun you used to have at high school. Incorporate some of your favourite activities, whether that means having a movie night, baking and decorating cookies, or playing video games. What you choose to do doesn’t matter nearly so much as the fact that you’ll all be together again. You’ll likely stay in touch with friends over the school year through social media and texting, but nothing compares to meeting in person. Instead of waiting for another break, why not invite friends over for the weekend while you’re at college? You’ll find apartments near Brock University with plenty of space to host guests at Foundry Lofts. Apply now to join our waitlist to hear when new spots open up .

Ways to Destress as a Student

Going off to university is an exciting time, but as with any other major life change, it certainly comes with its share of stressors. Most significantly, you’ll be living independently, which brings much more freedom and choice than you’re used to. You’re particularly likely to feel stressed when your energy levels drop and you face more demands than you can handle. Whenever you feel like you’re in this situation, here are a few things you can do to destress . 1. Sleep Enough Each Night There are often times when you may feel tempted to stay up late, whether to squeeze in a few more hours of studying, hang out with friends, or even relax with social media or video games. However, if you need to wake up early for class or another commitment, this is never a good idea . Sleep deprivation will make you more stressed and put you at risk for serious health conditions. Instead, try to stick to a bedtime — don’t sleep until the early afternoon to make up for a late night. It’s helpful for your body to have a schedule, and it’s best if this is aligned with the hours of daylight. 2. Exercise Regularly Staying physically active is a great way to relax — plus, it will help you fall asleep faster. College is a great time to experiment with new activities you may enjoy, such as by joining sports teams, going to the gym, or taking advantage of free fitness classes. When you find a form of exercise you enjoy, you’ll look forward to working out. 3. Eat a Healthy Diet You’ll also feel better physically and mentally if you’re eating well. Healthy foods will keep your energy levels steady throughout the day and prevent a sugar high that will only make you feel worse later. Besides, university is a great time to explore new flavours and to learn cooking skills that will benefit you for life. 4. Limit Your Caffeine Intake One thing that should be in your diet only in moderation is caffeine. A coffee in the morning and perhaps another after lunch is reasonable. However, relying on caffeine to keep you alert into the night to meet the due date for a paper will make you much more susceptible to stress. For the same reason, you should avoid prescription medication to boost your energy. 5. Create a Reasonable Schedule It’s easy to take on too much when you start university. You may want to work, join many clubs, and sign up for the maximum number of classes. While it’s fine to experiment with your limits, you also need to know when to drop something to prevent burnout. For instance, you may need to drop a class, volunteer less often with your extracurriculars, or search for a job with a more manageable schedule. 6. Make Time for Leisure What you shouldn’t do is give up all your fun activities to make time for studies and work. It’s important to spend a few hours a week on your hobbies, whether on your own or as part of a group. A great thing about university is that you should find plenty of opportunities to explore new passions. 7. Learn Breathing Exercises Whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed by stress, stop and breathe. There are various types of breathing exercises you can try, the most simple of which involves breathing slowly and deeply for at least a few seconds. You’ll feel much less stressed if you’re living in a place you love to call home. Since living on campus means losing privacy and sharing your living spaces with a large number of other people, many students prefer to search for rooms for rent. St. Catharines students can find high-quality student housing at Foundry Lofts. You’ll have your own room in a suite that you’ll share with just three or four other people. Plus, you’ll have access to a range of great onsite amenities, including fitness facilities, a games room, and a study zone. Receive an in-person or virtual tour to see it for yourself.